Wine and me

Pinot, beautiful Pinot

2008-09-16T20:53:00.000-07:00

There’s something that perplexes me about Pinot. This grape is truly puzzling, creating a product that is recognizable, yet mysterious, subtle, but huge. I know it has been cliché since Sideways to rave about Pinot Noir, but Pinot crafts a wonderful feeling in my stomach and heart when I drink it. I feel like I have really reached a high level with my palate, as this seems like a wine that a beginning wine drinker would shy away from. Its subtleness, hints of fruit, a touch of earth and spice, a delicate floral nose, and light tannins and color generate a complexity that forces the drinker to decipher what is in the glass. At the same time, the lack of dark fruit and baking spices, as well as the color make it simple to pick out in a blind tasting.

Pinot has always been the international third choice behind the big two Bordeauxs, a hidden treasure that Burgundy has nourished, but has found new life in cool climates outside of France. Burgundy’s Pinots Noir, to me, rely a bit too much on the earth. Scents of mushroom, wood, and brettanomyces, make this the epitome of the old world style of wine. This passed me by, as I just couldn’t understand this wine, until I discovered the beautiful Pinots of California. They have found their place from Santa Barbara all the way to Sonoma. The cool climate areas need to be fed by fog, a bit of cool ocean breeze, and well drained soil that creates that struggle that the grape needs to grow. Pinot relies on a long growing season of consistent temperatures. It needs cool, but not cold, mornings, and warm, but not hot, afternoons. It’s a feisty fermenter, not always willing to release its color and tannins, and a true magician is sometimes needed to get it right.

I guess I am being a bit hard on French Pinot. There is one French Pinot region that defies all of the boring, difficult, and complex stereotypes of Pinot Noir. That would be bubbly! There is nothing better than an exciting, fruity, beautiful pink Blanc de Noirs bottle of Champagne. In this form, it resembles the anti-Pinot. The long cool growing season, allows the grapes to slowly ripen here, producing complexity even without prolonged fermentation on the skins. I was at Mumm this weekend in Napa and their Blanc de Noirs brought my group to a high point as we toured the valley this weekend.

California is not the only spot thriving in the US right now. Oregon and Washington have gained strength and are showing their potential to be the future of Pinot. As California heats up, these cool regions have available land and determined winemakers that are gaining international reputation.

Right now I am enjoying a glass of 06 Chalone Pinot ($26), a wine that from the start is what I want. The nose is vibrant, with a round floral nose that is almost soapy, with a bit of pine and oak. Its velvety smooth taste is perfectly balanced with good acidity and low tannins with notes of leather and smoked meat with dried cherries and cranberries. My wife and I both jumped for joy at first taste of this wine, as we were a bit worried that it wouldn’t be as wonderful as the 2005, which had become a staple during family dinners.

Full Circle

2008-09-13T08:42:00.001-07:00

Wine started to shape my life in 2003, when I first got my job at Rosenblum Cellars. It began with days stuffed inside of 52’ trailers that had been heated in the trip from Napa, stacked three high with barrels for the upcoming harvest. After unloading truck after truck and prepping, racking, and labeling the barrels, I finally moved into the cellar. Harvest started late, and I spent weeks sanitizing tanks, moving hoses, working on the bottling line, and waiting for the first grapes to arrive. Once they finally did, the next three months flew by watching the sunrise while sorting grapes, and then performing pumpover after pumpover, counting the minutes until the day would end. Nights were lonely and fast paced, and often a night of drinking would end as the next day would begin.

I did start to love wine though, and in the harvest of 03, I was able to taste from fruit, to fermenting juice, to dry wine as it first entered a French barrel. That vintage means a lot to me, it was my first discovery of wine, the first time I was ever part of that magical process that turns fruit into enjoyment. I guess that first year is also a metaphor for my life at Rosenblum, these overripe grapes arriving, needing to be bled, and shaped and transformed into what they could be, sort of an end to one life and the beginning of another.

Today I was able to revisit that first year, and taste through a collection of 18 wines from the 2003 vintage. The labels have long since changed, the alcohol content of our wines has come down, but I still remember Jeff Cohen, the over enthusiastic winemaker, screaming down the dark cellar at 6 am, that he had found the perfect barrel and wine combination. Now I approached these bottles, hoping to extend that metaphor of the young kid coming back for more. Like the wines, I too have come a long way while not really going anywhere, still at Rosenblum, still developing, coming around and hopefully striving to reach my potential. The 03s are there, this is the year for them, five years is the perfect age to drink a perfect Zin or Syrah.

I started tasting and feeling how far my palate had come since I first grabbed a glass after a 12 hour day and thought that it just tasted good. When I tasted the first wine today, the 03 Eagle Point Zin, I felt the age right away. The fruit had faded and left just a bit of dried cherry, the spice from the oak battled with the high acid, the only initial component that had stuck around. As I made my way through the bottles, savoring the amazing ones, and frantically swirling the ones that had that funk that arrives when maybe it had sat in the bottle for one month too long. Beautiful wines still held strong, like the Cullinane Zin, which displayed beautiful oak characteristics of dried coconut, toasty beach wood, and lingering cherry from the grape. The Rockpile Petite Sirah still had that recognizable ripe black fruit, and the spicy and slightly reduced nose. These wines still have character, maybe more to me than to others, the character of Remi the French intern, who didn’t understand English no matter how loud I yelled at him. It was that whole crew, the blend of eight languages, ten countries, a mix of everything that went into that year. Tom, the associate winemaker, felt this too, as we tasted through these wines, I saw the look in his eyes of memories of 03, also his first harvest at Rosenblum.

This is what wine is all about, these memories, this evolving, developing mix that has taken the combination of grapes, brains, hard work, blood, sweat, and maybe a little bit of luck to end with this vault, this time capsule, of days past, that stays closed until the right tool can pull the cork out and re-release all of those remembrances back into the glass, to be drunk and stored once again.

Iberian and beyond

2008-09-10T21:12:00.001-07:00

My favorite part of my tasting group is being able to taste wine that I would not otherwise pick in a restaurant or buy in a store. Part of learning about wine is trying new wines, new varietals, new regions, and that is why establishing a relationship with your wineshop owner is so important. Yesterday, I tried a few mysterious wines from Portugal. Portugal, like Spain, is a country with a long history of winemaking, but is just recently emerging as an international power in the wine world. When people think of Portugal, they think of Port, but there is so much more. The difference between Portugal and other newly “discovered” wine countries is Portugal has kept its traditional blends rather than importing the French noble grapes. Most of the Portuguese wine that I found were blends, which made it difficult to really taste what the each grape brings to the palate, but the blends rounded out the flavors and made the wines more refined. The wines in general had fairly low alcohol, and struck me as food friendly and tasty but not overwhelming.

Portugal is a tiny country, but the wine region seems to encompass varied terroir and brings out the most of the varied climates and soil types. The first wine I discovered from Portugal was a Vinho Verde (Green Wine), which comes from the north. Although most of these blends are red, this was a white. All are slightly fizzy and this is a perfect example of a wine that should be popular in the US. This is a fun and simple wine, with low alcohol, (must be under 11.5%) with a fruity and sweet nose, and priced under $10 makes this accessible and a wonderful companion for an appetizer or an afternoon glass after work.

From the light and fun world of Vinho Verde we moved to the opposite end of the flavor spectrum, an 02 Esporão, from Alantejo that was on one of its last years of drinkability. This inland region in the middle of the country is hot, and this was obvious with the stewed fruit taste that reminded me of Paso Robles fruit. You could the age from the color variation toward the edge of the glass, as it went from deep purple to almost brown. This wine was a mix of the Trincadera, Aragones, and Cabernet Sauvignon, and was jammy and tannic, with spice and clove masking hints of stewed fruits. When I tasted this wine I could imagine a family making this wine in a small lot, following a family tradition and producing this old world style wine.

The wine of the night was a $10 06 Quinta de Bons-Ventos from Estremadura, on the coast, north of Lisbon. The maritime climate here brings hot days and cool nights, and produces the most wine of any region. This wine was fun and easy to drink, with a taste of kettle corn, chocolate, raspberry, and vanilla. What was really amazing about this wine was that we could not put the bottle down. We sat and chatted with this bottle and drank the whole thing before we got up to leave. It seemed to settle us, to create a dialogue about the wine and about our day, and about what we’ve learned in our wine course so far. We felt almost revitalized by this wine, like we had recovered from a hard day with a glass of this deep purple wine.

During the tasting I asked my manager if she would order a Portuguese wine at a restaurant and she admitted that she wouldn’t, due to the fact that she wouldn’t know what she was getting. Now, this is open to her, and hopefully she will next time. In my last entry, I discussed the idea of servers knowing about the wine served in their establishment, and it may be up to them to recommend a wine that would otherwise scare someone off. Look next time though, what’s on the list other than French or California wine, and ask for a taste. Many times, you can get a small taste to help sway you, and this way you won’t be disappointed if you buy a glass or a bottle. Either way, I think that Portugal is a region that needs to emerge. Maybe it will just take one article in The New York Times or a great score in Wine Spectator to arouse interest, but go get a bottle at you wine shop for under $10 and enjoy, you won’t be disappointed.

Bar Hopping

2008-09-04T22:16:00.001-07:00

It seems that a new wine bar is opening on every corner. It’s a good business idea, a bar without the need for a hard liquor license, a clientele that won’t be too overwhelming, a chance for a wine lover to share their passion, and a way to cater to the growing wine crowd. Wine has evolved from originally being a drink for the masses to a treat for the elite, and has now spread itself out with the variety of low priced, high quality wine, and fun varietals and classic blends that appeal to every budget and every palate. Wine is now within reach of everyone, limited only to willingness and desire. I’ll be honest, I don’t frequent too many wine bars, as I have been put off by the ones in my area. There has to be some elements that create a great wine bar atmosphere, separating it from the high class lounges and the dive bars and finding an equilibrium that is right for drinking wine.

The first thing that I notice when I walk in is the ambiance. Who greets me? Am I being sized up to determine if I am in for a taste of a few glasses? How is the music? Can I talk with my friends or will I be screaming across the table to have a conversation. Wine is conversation inducing, a group goes to a wine bar because they want to taste wine, talk about it and life, and relax. I also want to be able to sit comfortably, find that spot between post-modern and cozy and stick with it. When I sit down how do I feel? Is the crowd having a good time, does the staff look happy, can I see a few bottles around me that get me thirsty?

After settling in, I hope I can see a menu. I rarely have an interest in purchasing a bottle at a wine bar. If I wanted to drink a bottle of wine and listen to music I would stay home. Instead, I want to be able to taste, drink a few glasses, and spend responsibly. I don’t want to pay $7 for a one ounce taste when I can get a glass of good wine for the same price down the street. I want to see flights, $12-15 for three or four small glasses, with a theme. I want a few aromatics, wines from a specific region, a country, a varietal, or a surprise; go out on a limb, how about four varietals that the owner thinks I’ve never tasted before. A wine bar should be an adventure, there should be a wine that knocks me off of my chair and forces me to buy a glass.

The wine list should also have a great selection. Wines should represent every taste, and stay consistent with the general idea of the bar. Right now I am tasting through Iberia and Italy, and I want to taste Italian wines other than Chianti and Sangiovese, and Spanish wines that aren’t Tempranillo. I want to know that the owner looked hard to make his list, that this is a creation, a work of art, a gift to his/her patrons.

That leaves the service. I am a stickler for good service, and if I am going to spend my hard earn money, and tip well, then I need to be happy with the server. Ask a question, a small test, get an opinion, do they know the answer, do they even care? Did the owner hire them for their wine knowledge or because they were the first interview through the door? Wine is a constant discussion, and when the glass is put on the table, the server should tell you something about what’s in it. The owner or manager should hopefully be strolling through the maze of well dressed clientele and crowded tables and be eager to hear opinions about the wine, both positive and negative. This should also be their opportunity to sell, if you don’t like this Pinot then they have an Oregon Pinot that will blow your mind. They should know every single one of their wines and have the perfect antidote to any complaint.

The bill should not be deadly. Remember that a bar is probably nearby and I could have sipped on Tanqueray and Tonics all night and left with a healthy buzz and moderately full wallet. Most people don’t want to spend too much of their hard earned dough at a wine bar, they save that for dinner at a fine restaurant or a weekend in Vegas. A wine bar should provide an alternative nightlife solution for thirsty and eager wine lovers and leave them satisfied and wanting to learn and taste more. Take note wine bar owners, this is what I want, and I’m coming to find it.

Any suggestion, what’s your favorite?

Harvest time

2008-09-01T23:28:00.000-07:00

The time of year has arrived that we all wait for in the wine industry. The machinery is ready, the production team is determined to put the hours in, the plan that will be very loosely followed has been hatched, and hundreds and hundreds of bins have been washed and prepped. There is no more waiting, harvest is here. The heat of the last week and a half has pushed the sugar levels way up and the narrow window between ripe and overripe is open. The battle of will that the farmers must fight, risking their harvest for one more day of sun, the clash for complexity, the point just before the grapes start to raisin is what they wait for. Then, when the time is right, the grapes are picked by scores of men cutting through the narrow vines and racing up and down the rows, battling the heat, the bees, the black widows and time to get those grapes out of the field before the midday sun is overhead.

Then after a short ride, the grapes arrive in Alameda. The facility here is equipped to handle what arrives. The correct tank must be chosen, too big and you risking the next lot of grapes that needs that size, too small and hours of sanitation and pumping will be wasted. The grapes are sweeter than any table grape when they are sitting in the bins, which are sized to hold the maximum amount of grapes without them being crushed under their own weight and beginning to ferment while in the bin. The Contra Costa country fruit arrives first, as those hot days and old vines receive no help from the oppressive heat. I got the call from the Planchon family last week. Gertie Planchon sounded nervous as she rambled on at 6:45 am about the upcoming weekend temperatures and the need to get the fruit out before 105 degree days returned. The fruit arrived in normal fashion, some bunches looking beautiful, small dark Zinfandel grapes, some berries just starting to shrivel from the heat. Other bunches looked like they had not received the best protection from the sun, and they are raisined and will have to be sacrificed. The Planchon vineyard epitomizes the struggle that produces the best grapes, as the dry farmed old vines have held firm in the sand of Brentwood for 80 years, reaching deep into the ground to find the water that runs 10 feet below the surface, not phased by the suburban sprawl that has encircled the vineyard.

After the journey from vine to tank, the grapes need a bit of a vacation. They have been run through the stemmer/ crusher and they now sit in a chilled tank, the cold temperature allowing the grapes to relax and the skins to release their color during the maceration period. The temperature, sugar content, acid level, and any additions are taken frequently throughout the day. Generally, the sugar level divided by two will be the resulting alcohol content (28 brix will result in 14% alcohol if fermented dry). Also, if there is too much sugar, fermentation can stall, so water addition may be necessary to jumpstart the process. Yeast, enzymes, and nutrients are added, to assist with the fermentation process, the color extraction, and to protect against bacteria. Some grapes are crushed into bins, where they can be cared for more closely, temperature controlled by periods in the cold room (drive in refrigerator) and afternoons outside in the sun. All of the must (the fermenting mix of juice and berries) has to be cared for constantly, and there are crews working around the clock to be sure that everything is completed before the next shift arrives. One thing that is in constant need it to keep moist the grape skins and seeds that rise to the top. They do this in the tanks with pumpovers, pumping the juice from the valve at the bottom of the tank by hose to the top of the tank where they spray the cap and pull all of the color out of the skins. For the grapes in the bins, punchdowns are performed, where grapes are pushed down with long metal poles with plates on the bottom, pushing the skins to the bottom of the bin.

This is where we are now, now comes more patience. The winemakers now must decide when the tank fermentation is done, when the wine needs to be pressed, and when to fill the barrels, which have been streaming in over that past few months. That process will arrive shortly, when the smell of French oak and young wine fill the cellar halls, and the hustle and stress of the harvest reaches its peak.

Learning and Tasting

2008-08-27T21:03:00.000-07:00

These last two days I have been up in Napa, taking a two day wine course put on by Diageo. It’s an exciting time to be in wine country, as fruit is just beginning to be picked and there is a palatable enthusiasm in the air-conditioned halls of the DC&E headquarters. I learned a lot over these last two days, as this course was more advanced and more thoroughly engaging than the last class I took. There were two intriguing tastings, one at the end of day 1 and one at the start (9am) of day 2. The first was white wines, with all the common players, and it was blind, meaning we had to identify the wines by tasting through and finding well-known varietal characteristics. I was proud of myself, because I nailed all six, where just a few months ago I only got two out of six in the same style of tasting. The first and easiest was the Chardonnay, look for yeast and a golden color, symbolic of sur-lees aging in Oak. Check! Then I went to the Alsacian wines, Riesling and Gewurztraminer. I knew the Gewurzt right away, it’s all in the Lychee nut smell and the spicy taste, that’s a dead give-away. The other sweet smelling wine with honey and high acid had to be the Riesling. The Sauvignon blanc was next, just pick out cat pee (it’s not as bad as it sounds) and bell pepper (known as “Vegetal” in the wine snob world). I was a ringer when it came to the Viognier, because it was a Rosenblum 07 Kathy’s Cuvee, and I know that taste at first sip. Lastly came the Pinot Gris, which had to be the Pinot Gris, because… it was the only one left! I will spare the details of the red tasting because I didn’t do as well, all I can say is that I need to trust my gut instinct more, because once I start second-guessing myself, I start to miss them.

On the first day we also did a component analysis, testing the scent and taste of sugar, acid, oak, and tannin in water at various levels. This was very interesting because often the taste of the wine masks the true makeup and makes it difficult to really decipher what is what. The most intriguing aspect of this to me was that sugar, acid, and tannin have no scent. A wine may smell sweet but you do not smell sweetness, and a wine may smell acidy, but they really have no scent. Instead your palate is sending a signal to your brain telling it that the honey smell on a Reisling, or the tannic notes on a Petite Sirah mean that the wine will have those components, but often a sweet smelling wine is actually bone dry. Later in this lesson we discussed why we smell what we smell in wine. Take a pineapple for example. When you smell a pineapple, it smells… like a pineapple. No breakthrough there. But why does it smell like that? It’s because it contains ethyl butyrate, which smells like pineapple. Finished wine imparts tiny bits of these chemicals and grapes, and grapes are the only fruit that can achieve this complexity, add oak and fermentation and the possibilities are endless. So when your friend (or my brother in this case) tells me I sound like an ass because I say I smell coffee beans and dark chocolate in a Syrah, I can look at him and tell him that it’s because those chemicals are actually in the wine, then he can laugh at me! To help with this we were given a lazy susan with wine glasses full of typical scents, lemon and lime, honey, marmalade, apples, etc for white wine and plum, coffee, mushrooms, tobacco, etc for red wines.

My favorite exercise during the two-day course was the blending seminar. They poured glasses of all five of the classic Bordeaux varietals, two clones of Cabernet Sauvignon (clone 4 and clone 6 from BV for those keeping score), Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petite Verdot, and Malbec. We then used pipettes and beakers to blend distinct proportions of each varietal, attempting to achieve a balanced blend, with good acid, nice mid-palate, round lush tannins, deep color, and a great taste. Each of these wines adds something, Cabernet Sauvignon is the classic chocolate, cherry, deep base. Cab Franc is softer than Cab with some of the same characteristics, and along with Merlot it takes the bite off of the Cab, where Petite Verdot and Malbec are used sparingly to add a bit of length and personality to the wine. This is truly where winemaking becomes and art, and in the business it’s not just finding what you like, but understanding what your customers expect and desire from your wine.

All in all this class was wonderful and I learned a lot. The final test was a blind eight wine tasting of four different varietals side by side. My small group managed to nail all of the varietals, then we had to establish where they came from, using the characteristics of climate and terroir, and then try to name the exact winery they came from, although we knew that they were all in the Diageo Portfolio from California. Amazingly, we were able to name six of the eight wineries and where they were from, and don’t worry, I got the glass of Rosenblum Paso Robles Appellation Series Zinfandel correct, as well as the other Zin! I was proud of myself for getting these right and seeing how far I have come in my wine knowledge. My group winning this contest and walking out with a Magnum of 2004 BV Georges Latour Private Reserve was just the icing on the cake! I hope to continue to take these classes and continue my studies as the progress I have made is just the beginning of what I hope to learn.

Label me satisfied

2008-08-19T21:11:00.000-07:00

I guess I should first apologize for not writing, I have been caught up with the Olympics and really have been focusing too much time on that. Wine, to me, is one of those things that is mood dependant, meaning if I don’t really feeling like drinking, well, I’m not going to. Writing about wine is almost the same, perhaps just writing in general, if I don’t feel like writing I’m not going to.

Last week, I was thinking a lot about labeling. A lot of thought goes into a label on a wine bottle, and I know that most people in the wine industry spend a lot of time studying them. First of all is the general information. Of course you have the brand and the name of the wine, weather the name is indicative of the varietal or origin, that’s another story. You can find the alcohol content, the sulfite and health warning, and the content of the bottle. Look at the labels in your local wine shop, what do you find? I see varietals being identified from New World wine countries, like the U.S., Argentina, Australia, and others. But just because a varietal is listed does not mean that is the only one. All countries have strict laws, but many times they are broken down even more than that. For example in California, if a single varietal is listed, at least 75% of that wine must come from that grape (85% in the E.U), and if two or more varietals are listed, 100% of the wine and appellation must be from that grape.

What else is listed? Look for the year. It might not be there, because it’s not required. Most wineries will put the vintage, and in the US, 95% of the grapes must be from that year to have the name on the label. But there are some that don’t… like for sparkling wine. Many houses create vertical blends (from different years, as opposed to horizontal blends which are the same wine from different vineyards) to create the Cuvee (Cuvee is not the same as cuvee), and these Chateaus will blend past vintages to create their house taste.

What else do you have? You might see “Old Vines”, “Reserve”, “Special Selection”, or something like that. This means nothing, meaning they have no legal definition, take these terms as marketing terms and nothing more, they are more or less dependant on the reputation of the winery.

One of my favorite spots on the bottle is where is says, ”Mis en Bouteille au Chateau”, or “Produced and bottled at the winery”. If the American label says “Estate Bottled” then 100% must be from the vineyard. This is one of those historical terms that was created to prevent fraud. If wine went from barrel to bottle at the Chateau, then the winery’s reputation was at stake, therefore that label made the bottler more trustworthy. Before, wine was transported by barrel to the port, then bottled by a suspect exporter, and a bit of prune juice or worse may have been added to your Lafitte Rothschild!

So there is all of this “Stuff” on the label, but what about the label itself. I am a big fan of the traditional label, the white on the dark glass, the narrow letters perfectly centered in black or red. The other end of the spectrum is a bottle like the Paco y Lola Albarino from Spain, who decided that this easy drinking white wine needed a bit more fun. They put white polka dots on the label and black ones on the cork.

I think that many times the bottle that the wine is in is initially more important than the wine itself. I always look at a bottle before I buy it, I study the specifics, feel the weight of the glass, examine the foily, and decide whether it is worth the buy. Marketing is so important in wine, to catch the eye, to lure the buyer to take the bait. Once the bait is taken though, it is the wine’s job to bring the fish back for another.

To Spain I go

2008-08-13T00:14:00.000-07:00

One of the major European players that I don’t know much about is Spain. I have always been a bit hesitant when ordering Spanish wine, and it is often lost on extensive lists of French or Italian wines. The history of Spain’s winemaking history is interesting, with the amount of foreign influence that has taken place from the Moors to the influx of French talent when Phylloxera ripped through the French vineyards. Scores of French winemakers moved across their common border, closing their chateau to open a bodega. The influence of French winemaking, bringing 60 gallon French barrels, noble varietals, and putting their touch on Tempranillo, Garnacha, and other native Spanish grapes is what has formed the Spanish wine industry to what it is today. Now Spain has the largest total acreage in the world and produces the third most wine of any country.

When I think of Spanish wine I think of value, of unknown vineyards, hot, dry weather, and inevitably Sangria (which I did not taste today). The first wine I tasted today was a Cava, a sparking wine made by the traditional Methode Champenoise, fermented on its lees in the same bottle in which it is sold. This wine was nice and light, nothing exceptional, but good enough as an aperitif. This exemplifies what should be, a joke rather than a conversation, a greeting rather than a meeting. I have difficulty picking out characteristics when drinking sparkling wine, but after the bubbles faded in the Dibon Brut Cava I got minerals, pear, and green apple. What makes this wine special was that it was $8, whereas an equivalent French or Californian sparkling wine would be $15-20.

This nice intro to our Spanish tasting opened the door to a beautiful Albariño, a white that I had not previously tasted. I was told that it resembled Viognier, and one sniff of the gold liquid and it let out a scream of peach and orange zest. The Paco and Lola Albariño from the Basque region of Rias Baixes was as refreshing as a Sauvignon Blanc but as flavorful as a Roussanne. Spanish white wine still offers me a lot of unknowns, as the early Sherry trade faded, the cool fields of the North and the hot plateaus of the center of the country began to produce a multitude of small production varietals.

After tasting through three reds, I got a small example of what reds offer. All of them were well balanced, characteristically sound, and well priced, and for the cost, there was no real weak wine. I am trying to pick a few things out about Tempranillo, as this is a difficult grape to really define. While tasting a 100% Tempranillo from Ribera del Duero, I got a very earthy wine, with pine and tannins battling American Oak. I still need to taste further as I still cannot define exactly what I will get from a Tempranillo next time I approach it.

My favorite wine of the night was the 06 ROJO Garnacha priced at $9. Garnacha is the Spanish name for Grenache, and I would like to thank the French for refining it here! This wine was very fruit forward, with ripe black cherry, vanilla bean, and white pepper. My group argued a bit when I threw out the idea that the wine was old world. I felt that because the wine seemed to speak so loudly, there were no chemicals or sulfur noticeable in the nose and the wine made me feel like I was drinking it straight out of the barrel at the winery.

What an exciting tasting this was today for me, the world of wine is ever growing, and I am learning more and more about it with every sip. I do see myself moving towards Spanish wine, if not for value only, but for that fact that the quality truly is at the level of all of the other fine wine regions in the world.

Wine Country Comes to Town

2008-08-10T19:47:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I had the opportunity to head to the third annual Urban Wine Experience at Jack London Square. The collection of East Bay Vintners is a perfect example of the drive that has expanded “Wine Country” far beyond the vineyards and into the city. Wine can be made anywhere, as long as the winemaker has access to a macro bin and a truck. This has allowed more people turn a simple hobby into a small career. For some, like Jeff Cohen of JC Cellars and Mike Dashe of Dashe Cellars, it has been an interesting progression from the west cellar at Rosenblum to rave reviews in wine magazines and a new winery in Oakland. Fortunately, these small wineries have the opportunity to join forces and showcase their goods at this tasting.

The meadow at Jack London Square was a perfect place to hold the event. It was a warm afternoon, but the cool breeze from the bay allowed us to taste in comfort. The wineries were separated in small tents, and each winery was paired with a local restaurant. Some of my favorite local restaurants serving food that paired beautiful with the wine, like a fig risotto from Bellanico, and a spectacular gnocchi with ox tail from Patrick David’s catering. The crowd was lively, although it was a little crowded. To be perfectly honest, it drives me mad when pourers go into a bit too much detail about wine when there are people waiting for a pour. The warm weather drew me towards the Roses, Pinots, and whites, but I also got the opportunity to taste some Petite Verdot, a bunch of Rhones, and some interesting blends.

My favorite winery from yesterday was a pretty easy pick. Although it came down to JC Cellars and Prospect 772, I had to go with the relatively new Prospect 772 winery. I was truly blown away at the precision of their blends. Their three wines, The Brat, The Brawler, and The Baby Doll, are cleverly named, well balanced and a good buy. The Baby Doll was wonderful on a day like yesterday, a delicate Rose of Grenache that comes alive with flavors of grapefruit and berries. This wine was soft and gentle on the palate, and the light citrus and delicate acidity made you want to take another drink. Another intriguing blend was The Brawler. This big, bold Syrah and the light touch of Viognier add life and complexity to the richness of baking spices and black fruit.

I think that any time tasting is brought to the city, it enhances the experience for the wine connoisseur. It brings the romanticism to them, the complexity and the opportunity to search and discover to a small patch of grass near the Port of Oakland. The other wineries there were intriguing, and I plan on taking the short drive to explore them more. It’s nice to just have to drive down the block to taste, as opposed to making the trek up to Sonoma or Napa.

Tasting Date

2008-08-06T20:41:00.000-07:00

Oh, how these recent days have taken their toll on me. I hate to complain, but it’s 8 pm and I just finally sat down. My brain is a bit fried, but after a good meal and a few glasses of my favorite Argentine Torrontes, I am beginning to feel a bit better. I think I need a vacation, in fact, my wife and I are really thinking about trying to head down to Paso Robles, San Luis Obispo, and Santa Barbara to do a bit of tasting. That got me thinking about tasting, in fact, I think about tasting quite a bit. I really do enjoy heading up to wine country, it’s an escape, a trip to beautiful scenery, great finds, and crowds. I have learned to escape the crowds, to pick and choose where to go, and to avoid the tourist traps and find the good juice poured by people who are happy to have you there.

I guess first and foremost, I prefer to stay out of Napa. I really only get to go tasting on weekends, and highway 29 (St. Helena Hwy) is such a mess, even though Taylor’s Refreshers does serve some of the tastiest burgers around. I have gone to BV and think it’s a great place to take out-of-towners, but for me, really exploring and searching is what makes me happy. Instead of up and down 29, cross over to the Silverado Trail. The wineries here are beautiful, and a bit out of the way, so although they can get crowded, I don’t get the turnstile feeling when I head here. I have a few recommendations about tasting, as well as a few of my favorite locations.

First, go with as few people as possible. Small wineries hate limos, and even more than limos, they hate bachelor/ette parties with limos. You will get minimum attention, and the tasting room worker who drew the shortest straw. Second, this isn’t college, you don’t have to drink as much as possible in as short of a time as possible. If you don’t like it, spit and pour, if you are planning to go a few wineries, take your time. Don’t plan on more than four wineries, if you are driving a bit, plan on three. Third, call ahead or check the website of your planned wineries, check to see if you need to call ahead. Four, hydrate, it might be hot, you will be drinking, try to drink water at every winery, they should have it readily available. Last, try to stay the night in the area, if you can, or if you know someone, try to crash somewhere, the last thing you need is a DUI, plus the area has some amazing restaurants and staying for dinner can be magical.

If I do go to Napa I will always stop at Taylor’s right away for lunch, get a good burger and build a nice foundation in my stomach. I will try to go to a place a bit further north and normally try to pick and choose. There as so many spots to choose from, pick a new one, maybe one you’ve never heard of, and hope it’s good. Then I will jump over to the Silverado trail, it’s normally late afternoon and I will go to Miner Vineyards. I love the wine here, the tasting room is intimate, most people are there for good wine, and the staff treats me right. I really enjoy their wine and even when I showed up with a small group (yah, I know, see rule 1), they were happy to accommodate. They make quality wine, beautiful Cabs and blends, The Oracle is a truly beautiful wine, in fact I think I have four bottles on my shelf as we speak. After a quick check of the sun, I will decide my next spot. The plan is to settle into a table a Mumm, just up the road, for sunset. The patio area is stunning, and the sun sets over the valley and behind the mountains, the bubbly and the view really make you pause and realize house lucky you are to live in the Bay Area.

If Napa just won’t do, I will head to Sonoma. My favorite stop is just outside of the town limits, a bit out of the way, and is easy to pronounce. That stop is Gundlach Bundschu. They have a wonderful selection of light reds, beautiful Rose, and delicate whites that battle well with the intense heat that always seems to greet me when we go here. There is a nice picnic area and a beautiful view. From here you can head back to Sonoma or do what I would do, drive down to 12 and stop at Acacia (CALL AHEAD). Acacia has wonderful Pinots and their Chardonnay is some of my favorite. It is well hidden, just turn at Domaine Carneros and make a left about 2 miles down. My last stop would be at Domaine Carneros, another bubbly stop, hopefully during sunset, and even though Kenny G doesn’t work there anymore, they still serve some great sparkling wine and the Chateau is beautiful.

Whatever you do, try to go taste, it really is a perfect way to pass a weekend day.

Stepping foot into the boot

2008-08-04T20:20:00.000-07:00

I am beginning to develop a healthy obsession about Italy. It’s not just wine either, recently I purchased a new mixer and made fresh pasta and my first homemade pizza is in the oven as we speak! I think that Italy encompasses the importance of rich flavors and perfect spices the scream out in their food and wine. Recently, we have been dining at a few Italian restaurants as well, and seeing the variety of food and wine is one of the beautiful things as you move up and down the long skinny country. I love the food more than anything though, I make some mean pasta sauce, and I will go to an Italian restaurant over just about any other when given the choice. My wife’s family is originally from Italy, and her grandma makes some of the tastiest pasta’s and dishes that I have ever tried. What is particularly pleasing is that everyone has their own family recipe, that when I go to her house, I can taste something that I have never tasted before and won’t find anywhere else.

The more Italian restaurants that I go to, the more Italian wine I drink. That being said, the more Italian wine lists I see, the more confused I get about the wine structure of the country. It seems like everyone has their own wine, there are just too many regions, and you could drink a bottle a day for a year and not taste every varietal they have to offer. To be honest, I don’t even know how to break the surface of all the DOC’s and DOCG’s. At least with France, I have heard of most of the regions. I have an idea of where I want to go and (hopefully) I can get the name of the grape and know a bit of what to expect. With Italy, all of the noble grapes have different names, and then there is the multitude of varietals that only exist in Italy, in one state in Italy, or grow solely in one particular town in Italy. So I ask the waiter of course, and I hope that they know what they are talking about, because a list of Cannonau de Sardegna, Cannanau di Badde Nigolosu, and Cannonau Malvasia Nera all look the same to me!

I believe that I am more drawn to Italian wine than Californian or French wine. I am determined to really learn Italian wine, to tackle all of the regions and decipher the naming code. I am not going to drink a bottle a day (don’t worry mom), or even a bottle a week, I have more that I need to focus on, but I am going to make the effort to read and taste whenever possible. I love being drawn to Italy, it’s something mysterious about a country that I visited when I was younger and didn’t know about wine. Now, I am revisiting it, learning about the climate and geography, finding out the history and the changing taste of the country. So far, I have tried to taste some of the varietals, the major ones at least, Sangiovese, Barbera, Nebiollo, and a few whites as well. Two wines that have really stood out to me are the Lachryma grape, a super floral, almost soapy grape that is only grown in one small DOC. A white that I tried for the first time was a Torbata d’Alghero, a Sauv Blancish wine that was just perfect with baked fish.

I will keep my daily reader(s) up to date on my Italian wine exploration and hopefully by the time I take the WSET or the SWE test I will understand a bit of this country’s beautiful wine.

Wine of the week- 2005 Provenance Oakville Cab Sauvignon ($65)- Yah I know it’s a bit expensive, and picking a Cab from the Napa Valley could be considered a bit of an easy option, but damn was this wine is good. I just finished the bottle, two days after I opened it and it has continued to grow and blossom into what may be the nicest Cab I have ever tried. It started out a bit tight, with a bit of spice and mocha biancha on the nose, and blueberry and black fruit on the palate. Now that a bit of time has allowed it to open, I am getting tons of fruit, and a bit of bell pepper which is normal in a cab. This beautiful deep purple colored wine has a long lasting flavor and an intense nose. I would pair it with any strong Italian dish (see above). If you feel like blowing a bit of money on a can’t lose bottle, go for a Napa Cab like this one.

Summertime

2008-08-02T17:38:00.000-07:00

Summertime is not wine’s shining season. It seems like events during the summer are catered more towards beer than wine. I went to a tasting today that featured good barbeque wine, and it made me really think about how to serve wine at an afternoon BBQ. First off, the selection of wine has obvious importance. I would start with a light bodied red, nothing to heavy that will tire out the guests. A Grenache or even a light Cab could work. Focus on what you are going to cook, steaks and ribs will pair well with most reds. I would throw a Pinot in there as well, it’s a great starter wine, something that can intrigue guests who may have arrived with intentions of drinking beer. As far as whites are concerned, a bottle in the cooler is always a nice treat. This wine is going to be direct competition with beer, so there are two roads that you can take. First, you can have something that you think will appeal to the most people, perhaps a Chardonnay or a Sauvignon Blanc, something that most people have tried and will be drawn to. The other option (the one that I prefer) is to introduce something that people haven’t tried. I might pull out an Italian white, or maybe a sparkling Gewurztraminer or so. Wines like that would at least have the “I have to at least try it” mentality. Sell, sell, sell, find the people who you think would like the wine and get them a glass!

I may get a little bit of flack, but I think that chilling red wine down on a hot day is definitely an okay idea. I don’t think it should be frozen, but just a little cool will help it to refresh a bit and not heat you up. When I was in Mendoza, it was ridiculously hot and people were actually dropping ice into their red wine. Now I would never do something like that, but room temperature could be a bit much when it’s 90 degrees outside.

Getting the grill ready is my favorite part of the BBQ. I would like to think of some recipes that would naturally pair well with wine. As I said, grilled meat is so easy to pair with wine, but the real challenge is pairing with the white wine. Grilled fish is not normally a staple at my BBQ’s, but some light chicken sausages, last week’s chicken recipe (not be confused with week old chicken), and some grilled shrimp are always a staple. For your marinating needs, always use a bit of wine to liven up the finished product. As far as meat is concerned, things like burgers and dogs will drive guests towards beer. Instead, a nice cut of steak, pork, or lamb would work better.

When figuring out how many bottles your guests will go through, think about the crowd that you are going to have. Will you be inviting your rugby teammates or is it a couples affair? Are you having people over to watch the UFC or is this a garden party? Will you be serving food on plastic plates with plastic cups or will there be tables set up? All of these factors will have an affect on the vibe, crowd, and ultimately, the choice of beverage for the afternoon/evening.

Something Special

2008-07-30T21:55:00.001-07:00

I am celebrating my third wedding anniversary tonight, and my wife and I were talking over dinner about how wine has really brought us together. For both of us, wine has really become an important part of our lives, and food and wine together are so important to us. We are total foodies and as the palate for food becomes more sophisticated, our love for wine has matured. My wife, Flavia, was really not exposed to wine much when she lived in Brazil, where she is from. Her father drank a lot of Argentine wine, but she says that it was our first trip to Napa that really opened her eyes to wine. We spent a weekend in Calistoga, exploring some of the more out of the way wineries along the Silverado trail and highway 29. One winery in particular that dramatically opened her eyes was the Casa Nuestra winery on the Silverado Trail. The workers here took us through the fields, the barrel room, and really opened up Flavia’s eyes to the process that goes into making that bottle of wine, from the field all the way to the glass. She says that the romanticism of the family, the process, the work that makes this wine, made wine an experience, rather than a drink.

Wine has really opened up a new realm of conversation for us. It seems that when we go to a restaurant, the glass of wine in front of us usurps the day’s stress, the drama at work, the bad service, or whatever else we are encountering. We can trace back our first glass of Gewurztraminer, or first crisp Rose, and our best glass of sparkling wine that we’ve ever had. I still have some bottles from our first trip to Napa, a wonderful reminder of an experience that brought us closer and made us so happy.

The power of wine is often overlooked, but as appreciation grows between us, each glass seems to become more special, more memorable. Our great nights are measured by what we tasted, and our delicious meals are remembered for how they were paired. The discussion of wine is mysteriously sensual and powerful, something about the result of the process that makes it seem more valuable, more stimulating. I think its beautiful that each sip is different for us, the way the tannins feel, the fruit or spice we encounter first, and the choice of adjectives we use to describe each glass.

I look at some of my coworkers and see the relationship they and their partners have with wine. There seems to be this common theme of wine playing a prominent role in their relationships. Whether its one of the winemakers reveling in his recent romps through Bordeaux’s vineyards with his French girlfriend or my manager’s glee when she tells of past trips to Napa, there is just something special about wine in a relationship.

Wine of the week- 2003 Coteaux du Languedoc Dom Deshenry ($15)- This wine from the Languedoc is a bit confusing to research, as is most French wine. First off, this is a vin de pays (country wine), a title bestowed in 1979 and was originally meant for lower tier wines. It was one step above table wine, however, what it did was give less restriction to the grower and winemaker, allowing more creativity. They were allowed to free themselves from the grasps of formal AC’s, like minimum vine age, required varietals, low yields, and stict geographical restrictions. Another interesting advantage that these small DOC’s have is that they can print the varietal on the label, as long as it is 85% of that varietal. The Cotes de Thongue lies inland, just a few miles north of the Mediterranean Sea. The wine from this area is focused firmly on pure varietal wines, this one being Syrah.

Working for wine

2008-07-28T20:37:00.000-07:00

I apologize for not writing yesterday, but this weekend was pretty crazy. Rosenblum had their quarterly Open House and as usual it meant a lot of wine for some, and a lot of work for others. My weekend was spent fulfilling wine orders for people that were too drunk to know whether or not they were getting the wine they paid for! It was a fun time though, good wine, food, and music, and although it was a weekend of work, I guess it could have been worse.

I was thinking about a Merlot that I had the other night. It was a Tuscan Aia Vecchio, a Merlot, and part of the “Bold Red” flight at a neighborhood restaurant. I was a bit hesitant about ordering this flight specifically because of this wine. I don’t like Merlot. That is a blanket statement, I’m sure if I looked hard enough to find one that appeased me I could, but this one went into the category of disappointing. It was soapy and flabby, fruit forward, but it didn’t have any “umph”. Merlot by nature is a fleshy and soft grape, perhaps even sensual, so serving it in a “bold red” flight may not work.

In general I find Merlot underwhelming, boring, and a little too old world for me. I would also lump Chardonnay and Pinotage into wines I don’t want to drink. I look at chard as flabby, low acid, and mouthfilling. Maybe it’s not that I won’t like it, I just think that there has to be a better selection on a wine list than a Chard. Pinotage I won’t touch, I feel like I can smell tires burning even before I open the bottle, although it would be rare for me to see a Pinotage on a tasting list in a restaurant.

The more you learn, the more you learn to find what you like. That being said, when you start trying enough wine, you create a disposition of a few wines, an aversion that will naturally lead you to select something you know you will like. Recently I learned the WSET tasting method, which seems to gear towards technical tasting rather than tasting with emotion. Through this method, the taster dissects the wine, part by part, appearance, nose, mouth, and finish. In a Merlot tasting, it allowed me to concentrate on the aspects of the wine, rather than the wine itself, good for a tasting, bad for accompanying my dinner!

I wanted to point one thing out about my wines of the week. If you want to find this wine for yourself, I would recommend visiting www.winesearcher.com. Through that website you can track the wine down to a local wineshop.

Wine of the week- 2003 Coteaux du Languedoc Dom Deshenry ($15)- This wine was a wonderful score the other night. I had it with fried pork belly and fried green olives ( I know, that sounds amazing) and it was heavenly. The wine is not fruit forward like I am used to with a Syrah, instead this was a spicy and earthy Syrah, almost like a huge Pinot Noir! The nose was pure earth, with wild mushrooms and leather, and on the palate was a mix of mint, orange zest, and white pepper. I ordered another glass with my lamb dinner, and the gaminess of the lamb matched well with it as well. This was one of those wines that my wife and I discussed at length, and I went home thinking about the wine, wishing I had another bottle! I am definitely becoming more interested in the Languedoc region as I taste more French wine, on Wednesday we will cover it a bit more.

Blog it

2008-07-25T18:23:00.000-07:00

The world of wine seems to be everywhere now. Do a Blog search on Google; there are thousands and thousands of wine Blogs. There are magazines, TV shows, and even a whole aisle dedicated to it in your local supermarket. Diageo reported that wine sales equaled beer sales in 2007, something unthinkable just a few years ago. It really is a true global market. It appeals to young (not too young) and old, rich and poor, happy and sad! There is more written about wine than any other beverage, and that’s just a simple demand issue.

The world of wine has really opened since Robert Parker. He was the one that saw the need for varietals on the labels, and the emerging American wine market saw this as an opportunity to jump into the business. It is intimidating to be at a fancy restaurant, looking at a 15 page wine list full of vineyards and years, but none of them say what the wine inside of the bottle is. That’s because you are supposed to know, or at least the “Old World” likes to think. Most people wouldn’t know what’s in a Chinon or even a Bordeaux if it isn’t specified on the back of the bottle or by the overdressed sommelier. If your dinner partner did know what it is you wonder what the hell you are doing out with that person in the first place! As the world of wine opens, and this mass of people enter the business, changes start to occur to make wine more accessible for everyone.

As I get deeper into the Diageo network, I get to see more and more everyday of the business aspect of wine. I see the hands reaching out, writing blogs, sending hundreds of cases of wine to writers, hoping to get that cameo bottle in CSI, or just finding new ways to market to certain demographics. The only limit to wine is access. Think about your neighborhood, how many wine shops are nearby? Has a wine bar opened in the past few years? Do you have friends who go wine tasting? There are so many different types of wine that there really is no end to the adventure. Even within Diageo, the California wineries would take months to really get through the whole portfolio.

I guess my point is that just by reading this you hopefully have learned a bit about wine. You must have had some interest in wine to read all the way through my Blog, so now go explore. Don’t be afraid if you don’t know how to pronounce the winery or you’ve never heard of a varietal. Take a risk, keep tasting, when you get home do a Google search about the wine and learn a bit about it. You have just increased your wine knowledge!

Wine of the Week- 2006 Rosenblum Cellars Chateau La Paws Cote du Bone Blanc ($12)- This is my favorite Rosenblum white and this delightfully light blend is perfect on a warm summer day. The blend of Chardonnay, Viognier, and Sauvignon Blanc combine to bring spice and fruit into a mouthful soft and supple wine. Clove and passion fruit dance on your tongue and a touch of honey smoothes the whole thing as you happily sip through your glass. A bit of oak sophisticates the wine but a nice chill brings it back down to earth. The price of this wine is set low enough to make this an “every fish dinner” type of wine. Get ready for more of this, as there will be more Rosenblum whites released in the near future.

A Nice Cellar

2008-07-23T20:47:00.000-07:00

There are so many regions producing quality wine now that the choice of tonight’s beverage gets more difficult as every new vineyard opens. How do you know which wine to pick? What is your favorite country, favorite region, favorite appellation, vineyard, winery, varietal… this can go on forever! Wine offers a nearly infinite variety of choices, with only price and perhaps access as the only constraints. A favorite wine is something difficult to choose, like asking to pick a favorite song. A favorite wine or song can change depending on the mood, company, etc. A wine can be a “favorite”, but more importantly, finding the preferred wine is what is most important, and thus begins the importance of nice wine cellar, that beauty of choice under your roof.

Most people don’t have a basement, therefore finding a good corner in your home can be difficult. There are a few important rules to creating a space for a cellar or wine rack. It should not be in contact with direct light, especially sun light. It should have good humidity, a consistently cool temperature, and not subject to vibration (not on top of the fridge). Once you have a lot of wine stored up, consider purchasing some neckers to organize the wine and make that particular bottle you are looking for a bit easier to find. Learn about your cellar, know which wines you have, what their characteristics are, you have to know what you expect to find when you open it.

Picking a bottle for a dinner is always tough. Red or white is the first step. If I have guests, it’s always nice to throw a bottle of bubbles in the fridge, then pick out a wine to fit the main course. Some people prefer to open the expensive bottle later in the night, but after a bottle of bubbly, and then a bottle of “cheaper” wine, the expensive bottle could get lost. I like to open the nice bottle first. Pick a wine that you think will suit your guests, don’t choose a $100 Bordeaux or even a $50 Napa Cab if your friends don’t appreciate wine. For that pick a Syrah or a Malbec, something big and easy to drink. After that is gone, get a feel for your guests, what did they like and what do they prefer in a wine. Even if they don’t know much about wine, use their answers to narrow down the next selection. If it was too big, head for a Pinot Noir or a Sangiovese, test them, maybe change it up with something fun like Beaujolais or a Tempranillo. Having wine should be fun, be sure to keep the mood light, don’t take it too seriously, and maybe even learn a bit as you go.

Having a variety in the cellar is difficult. Try to buy what you think you won’t drink for a while. It’s even better if you can taste it first, get that idea in your head of when it will be good, that will also cut down on the curiosity and allow you to store it for longer. If you know that you cannot sit and watch that bottle for too long without opening it, buy two!

Wine of the Week- Rosenblum Cellars 2005 Atoosa Syrah ($35)- Continuing our Rosenblum 30th anniversary celebration this was the first release of this Vineyard Designate wine from Sonoma. I really enjoy Syrah, it’s a fun grape that’s big and bold, dark and tannic. The tannins are normally nice and soft from all of those sunny days but a few years could help wine to develop some of its more intense flavor characteristics. The Atoosa didn’t seem too happy to be opened and was a bit harsh at first. I mixed it around a bit and it relaxed and began to open. This fruit driven wine had an immediate nose of blueberry and strawberry jam. A bit of nutmeg and baking spices emerged along with some dill after a few more swirls, then the wine opened quickly to reveal soft tannins in the dark purple wine. A spicy finish and hints of oak make this wine well rounded and a great wine for a hearty meal.

The Wonderful world of Rose

2008-07-21T22:08:00.000-07:00

I love Rose, and that’s just fine. I’m a man, I go to the gym, I do Muay Thai Kickboxing and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, and I still like Rose. There’s nothing wrong with that, or is there? It turns out that Rose, even white wine, comes with the stigma of being sissy or girly. It ends up lumped into that “never at a fraternity house or tailgate party” along with malt beverages, woolen mittens, and vegetarians. To me, there is something perfect about a glass of Rose while sitting outside on a warm summer day. The way the glass clouds to the level of the beautiful shimmering pink (maybe light red is a more inviting word) beverage, the cool, crisp, slightly tannic, and fully enjoyable beverage makes Rose one of the true gifts of Baccus.

Rose can definitely vary depending on how you make it. I love a bit of RS (residual sugar) on the nose, but a bone dry rose will do as well. It can be made with any black grape, just limit the skin exposure, and press when the desired color is reached and there ya go. It can be fizzy, which is equally wonderful, flat, dry, or sweet. The secret to a good Rose is to make it resemble the way that it would have turned out if the maceration continued until it fermented to a red dry wine. Just that hint of Grenache, Carignon, or even Cabernet Franc allows the wine to develop the wonderful characteristics of the terroir while holding back just enough to make it very drinkable with white fish or light poultry or just a few friends and an ice bucket.

This brings me back to my original point, Rose is fine to drink if you are a man. I don’t know what it would take to break the connotation related to Roses, but there has to be a way to get people to at least taste it. It seems like the most natural progression would be to pair it with food, this way giving the nay-Rose crowd a reason to drink it, an excuse if you will. Another way would be to go out of your way to create an environment conducive to Rose, before your friends come over, take the beer out of the fridge. Make sure it’s nice and hot. Tell the crowd that the beer isn’t cold yet and the only cold drink is Rose. Better yet, propose a bubbly toast and pass out glasses of brut Rose.

Wine of the week- 2006 Rosenblum Cellars Monte Rosso Zinfandel ($45)- To mark Rosenblum’s 30th anniversary, I am going to select a different Rosenblum every night this week to celebrate the big 3-0. Monte Rosso epitomizes a well cared for wine made perfectly to express the big and bold flavors that make Rosenblum Famous. This is one of those vineyards whose grapes announce their arrival. All other projects are put on hold, the grapes are crushed immediately, dropped into clean macro-bins and placed in the cold room for a well deserved rest. Then two weeks of punch downs and skin contact present a final product that is a deep blackish purple, with wonderful scents that pour through the cellar.

An evening at Rosenblum Cellars

2008-07-20T22:03:00.001-07:00

The 30th anniversary celebration is underway at Rosenblum Cellars. I have been there long enough to know how this family works. Kent and Kathy Rosenblum have come a long way from the basement of their house, to a run down bar in West Oakland, finally to a warehouse used to repair trains during WWI and WWII where they now house the winery. They are the kind of people that you can sit with and laugh, learn, and drink without ever thinking that they are your bosses. The whole family is so loving, the kids, the extended family, and their friends, that it has always been a true pleasure to work for them. Now, on their 30th anniversary they have finally decided to send their baby to college, packing her up and sending her to Diageo Chateau & Estates to really see what she can become. I know this transition has been difficult for Kent and Kathy, but not many people can turn a hobby into such a successful business.

On Friday night my wife and I had the pleasure of enjoying a catered meal at the winery. The food was supplied by The Girl and the Fig in Sonoma and paired with a selection of Rosenblum wines from some of their Sonoma Vineyards. The crowd was a collection of wine lovers, club members, and employees. The old warehouse looked beautiful, with black tablecloths over round tables, barrel staves and candles as a centerpiece, five wine glasses, and enough silverware to drive a dishwasher insane. The lights were low and tempered glass candleholders were placed on the barrel racks that lined the room. The vibe was very relaxed and as we sat one of the chefs came out to explain the first course, a seared scallop with beats and polenta which was paired with the 2006 Preston Ranch Marsanne. This is a typical Rosenblum white, big, bold, with pronounced ML. It had honey and pie crust on the note, with violets and cloves on the palate. It takes a big wine to pair with scallops. As I fin that the pungent taste can easily overwhelm a Sauvignon blanc of an unoaked Chard.

The second course, roasted suckling pig loaded with spices, was paired with a duo of big time Zinfandels. The 06 Maggie’s and the 06 Monte Rosso Zins are two of Rosenblums best known and they certainly played games with the pig, competing for dominance. The Maggie’s was very tannic with ripe strawberry, rhubarb, and mint on the palate. The Monte Rosso was the pick of the table and was bigger and jammier with blueberry, dark chocolate, cassis, and coffee.

The third course was a cheese plate paired with the 05 Kick Syrah. This was my favorite wine from 2005 and Wine Spectator gave it a 94. It was bold and dark, a beautiful purplish black with flavors of blueberry yogurt, smoked meat, and an herbaceous mouth feel. Finally the dessert, a peach trio served with the 05 Late Harvest Ripken Ranch Viognier. This is my favorite Rosenblum dessert wine, and it felt like honey and sweet flower were dancing on my tongue.

All in all the dinner was a wonderful time and as I sipped a glass of Fran’s Syrah, I remembered how lucky I am to work at a place as special as Rosenblum. I got a job at Rosenblum right out of college and spent the first few years in the production end of the company. Watching Kent, John Kane, and Tom Pitchon painstakingly taste through the assortment of vineyards and French barrels, I began to understand why the wine is so consistently good. They work to find the blend that is perfect to them, not what they think will sell best, because they want to produce the best wine, without consideration of cost of constraint. When I moved to the retail department I remember Kent calling me over to taste through some large volume barrels of Rockpile Zin. He asked my opinion and we tasted through Vosgue and Allier barrels, noting the slight differences. He didn’t have to include me in this, but he did because he respects his employees, and therefore every single one of them respects him. I remember coming in at five in the morning on a frigid Saturday morning just before Christmas and I heard something from the barrel room in the pitched black winery. I turned the corner and saw a light coming from one of the rows and I slowly crept down the hall where I saw Kent, tasting a few barrels before heading up to Tahoe for a day on the slopes. His work ethic and love of wine build Rosenblum to the level it is today and I hope that Diageo will continue with their commitment to improve Rosenblum.

WINE OF THE WEEK- 2006 A by Acacia Pinot Noir, Sonoma ($17)- Pinot Noir is one of the easiest wine to find a pairing recipe. The many characteristics of the wine allow it to pick a bit of almost any recipe. It’s a red that can pair as easily with salmon as it can with roast beef. The recipe that I chose is a chicken recipe that I picked up from my father in law in the tiny town of Itapejara d’Oeste in the southwest of Brazil. He is a champion griller, but this chicken marinade took the cake. The spice and lime from the recipe match with the acid and herbaceous characteristics of the wine. I adapted the recipe a bit and it can be used for chicken or pork. This nice light summer recipe is great for the grill.

Frango Agilberto (Agilberto’s Chicken)
3 tbsp olive oil
Large handful of cilantro leaves
3 green onions
4 cloves of garlic
¼ cup lime juice
black pepper
kosher sea salt
boneless chicken (either breasts or thighs)

Combine the first five ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth and runny. Clean the chicken and dry, then lightly dust the chicken with salt, pressing it into the poultry. Put in a Ziplock bag, pour the marinade over the chicken, seal and mix. Refrigerate for 2 hours or so. Grill the chicken high heat until thoroughly cooked. I prefer to serve this with rice with cilantro and lime.

Walking the Fields

2008-07-19T09:13:00.000-07:00

This week was a great opportunity to fill some of the small gaps that I’ve overlooked in the past about some viticulture and winemaking techniques. The two-day wine 101 course that I took at the Diageo Chateau & Estates headquarters also put a lot into perspective about the portfolio and the company that I now work for. I did a very interesting Cabernet tasting the second morning involving six wines of various brands. They were are 2005 but spread across the spectrum as far as origin and value. The stars of the show were the Provenance Oakville Cab and the Hewitt Rutherford Cab. Rutherford is known for it ‘s Cabernet and its “Dust” and George De Latour has been making fine cabs from there since the early 1900’s. Diageo owns, I believe, upwards of 30% of the land there, allowing their brands to produce a variety of great, although a bit pricey, cabs from that region. For the value ($15), I really liked the Dynamite Cab, it was a excitingly spicy cab with nice red fruit and good balance.

WINE OF THE WEEK- 2006 A by Acacia Pinot Noir, Sonoma ($17)- The afternoon session of our class was an exciting “field trip” to Acacia Vineyards. Acacia is located at the end of the North Bay and just off of Highway 12 and down the road from Domaine Carneros. It was warm, mid 80’s, with a constant breeze that whips off of the bay and cools the ground enough to keep the temperature down to grow the Chard and Pinot Noir that Acacia is famous for. The winery is located in the middle of Pinot and Chard vineyards, some Acacia, some BV, and some others. The small green Chardonnay grapes hung happily under foliage and some early verasion (color change) was occurring on random bunches. The winemaker, Matthew Glynn, walked with us and explained some of the viticulture techniques. Their vines are planed from East to West allowing max sun in the morning although the grape leaves provide a bit of shade from the scorching afternoon heat. One of the goals of Acacia is to be environmentally conscious and they attempt to use as little water as possible. Unlike some wineries, Acacia does use some machine harvesting because there are problems with late harvest heat and the fruit sometimes needs to be taken off the vine as quickly as possible. We tasted some Chard in the vineyard, I really enjoyed the 06 Winery Lake Chardonnay, grown just over the hill away from the bay, but kept cool by the nearby lake (hence the name). It was very clean and smoky, with hints of banana and a beautiful lingering aftertaste from the new French Oak barrels.

When the heat really started to beat down on us, we made our way to the winery, where we toured their facility, stopping at the crush pad (where the grapes first come) and then heading in to see their barrel room. All of their barrels are empty, SO2 gassed and waiting for the upcoming harvest. Their facility is incredibly clean, and the beautiful oak smell emanates from the predominantly French barrels. Matthew told us about their racking procedure for Chardonnay, including using nitrogen displacement instead of pumps. They do perform battonage (lees stirring) every two weeks to mix the dead yeast flavors through the wine.

We sat at tables set up under the press and Matthew started to passionately describe their Pinot. He has a perfect demeanor to produce Pinot, he is soft spoken but confident, and incredibly smart but selective with his speech to allow everyone to understand. I asked him why he chose Pinot, and he told of the difficulty of producing a wine that can draw an emotional response. “It’s not gonna knock you over the head”, he said. Surprisingly, Acacia performs native yeast fermentation, a method that is not used as often in wineries of that size. Native fermentation means that Acacia does not inoculate with foreign yeast. There is yeast on everything, our hands, the walls of a winery, and the skins of the grapes. After picking, the grapes are destemmed and set to cold soak for five days before turning the heat up and allowing the fermentation to proceed. Pinot has thin skins and low tannins, and the higher level of acid allows the wine to age, although 10 years is about the limit in California and Oregon. We tasted two Pinots at the winery. The 06 Acacia Lone Tree Estate was spicy and meaty, with bold blueberry mixing with mocha and rhubarb flavors. The 06 Carneros Pinot was delicate and composed with a floral and earthy nose of Rose and leather, and a mouthful of blackberry and cranberry.

Finally we finished up our class with some bubbly. I didn’t even know BV made bubbly! What made it even more exciting was that I had my first opportunity to saber a bottle. The teachers of the course brought a saber from the Rutherford House, and I will admit I was a bit nervous about messing this up. It was actually easier than I thought it would be. Hold the bottle at a 45-degree angle and find the bottle seam. Keep the fingers clear and run the saber up the seam at about medium speed and follow through. The top of the bottle will fly off, and then drink!

You can check out pictures from my visit HERE

House Palate

2008-07-16T21:04:00.000-07:00

I have been at Rosenblum Cellars long enough to have what we call a “House Palate”. My love for wine has really blossomed at Rosenblum and therefore the majority of the wine that I have drunk throughout the last few years has been mostly Rhone Varietals. The Zinfandels and Syrahs that Rosenblum is famous for are huge, fruit forward, jammy wines, with high alcohol content and bold flavors that leap out of the glass. They are also top quality, for example the 2003 Rockpile Zin was number 3 in Wine Spectators “Wines of the Year” issue. As Kent Rosenblum always says, “If we can’t sell it, we gotta drink it, so it better be good”! I guess in a sense I have been spoiled by this exposure to premium wine, and today I really noticed how my house palate affects my taste.

I am currently taking a two-day course put on by Rosenblum’s parent company Diageo Chateau and Estates. It’s a Wine 101 course, a bit basic for me, but it does provide some great opportunities to learn about the DC&E portfolio. I tasted a variety of wines from Sterling and BV, mostly their lower tier wines, as well as a few Sauvignon Blancs from New Zealand and California. The Merlots and Cabernets were… I don’t know exactly how to describe them. I guess I would have to say they were “Merlotie” or “Cabbie”. I mean they were perfect in their simplicity. They were examples of what that varietal should taste like without all of the frills and whistles of a wine that would cost $30 or more. The Sauvignon Blancs were good and the instructor couldn’t stop telling us about how much everyone is buying now.

My point is that these wines were not made for us to drink, they were made for us to sell, and that’s where my transition from family business to corporation is now. I understand the equation: make decent, even good wine for very little, keep it simple, market the hell out of it, brand recognition, be sure its in every store and airport bar, and it will sell. Next time you are at your liquor store, or even neighborhood supermarket, there is no way you will not see the big BV label smiling at you on a middle shelf or and the end of an isle. You know what you are getting, a great brand, making a decent wine, for a good price… a good wine to drink at a party. I don’t think I would ever buy this wine to have at home, but I guess this type of wine does not follow Kent’s motto. I guess the motto for this style of wine should be “Make this wine, so we can make money, and then we will have enough to afford the wine that we really want to drink”. The only wine that really struck me as something that I would buy was a 2006 Jade Mountain Mt. Veeder Viogner which was spicy and smoky and different. It was its uniqueness that stopped me, made me turn to my neighbor and start talking. This wine tested me, and that’s what I look for in a wine, something that is not normal, and something that challenges the grape, the winemaker and the winery to produce a product that is different than the rest.

WINE OF THE WEEK- 2006 A by Acacia Pinot Noir, Sonoma ($17). I am sure that we have all seen Sideways, a movie that really brought Pinot to recent light due to Myles’ obsession with the difficult grape. Pinot Noir is a wonderful grape, it really is such a clever grape, that there really is know what to know what you are getting if you approach a blind Pinot tasting. The beauty of Pinot Noir is in its delicateness, from vine to grape to wine. The vine is one of the hardest to maintain and the grape is stubborn, an early ripener that tests a grower patience to pick at the last possible moment when the flavors are at their premium and just before the grape begins to raisin. The winemaking process is just as testing, and the winemaker must be respectful of the grape while creating the wine.

Pinot is originally from the Burgundy region of France, but honestly I have never had a good Burgundy Pinot Noir, I’ve always been a bit nervous at what I would get. I do enjoy Central California Coast and Oregon Pinots because their cool climate and modern winemaking techniques really have pinpointed the way to produce a delicate, fruity, and spicy wine. I find that Pinot is often a wine that makes me think, that challenges me and allows me to further my knowledge and palate.

The Early Days

2008-07-14T20:57:00.000-07:00

A love for wine is something that develops over time. That is to say, that something as complex as wine can begin as a crush, or simple infatuation, but the love of wine requires some knowledge and understanding of more than just the grape. For me, it really started when I was 15, traveling as some immature, unprepared tourist through Europe with other Americanized teenagers. On one stop along our tour, we wandered through the vineyards of St. Emilion and then had a tasting. The first taste was a bit bitter, I wasn’t prepared, I had nothing to compare it to. I didn’t particularly like it. I more enjoyed meeting the three generations that ran the vineyard, and seeing this history, the story in bottles, the rows and rows of dusty shelves that lined their cellar, filled with dark bottles dating back to the 19th century. I bought a 78 Chateau-Figeac St. Emilion from the touristy town center and lugged it back to the US. There was something captivating about what I had brought home, a living bottle of wine, history, and eventually once I drank it, a reminder of my past. But this was also a hint of the future, and when I began to work at Rosenblum Cellars, I knew that I had an opportunity to begin a love affair with the grape.

Working on a harvest crew with people from France, Australia, South Africa, and Argentina really opened up my eyes to the international importance of wine. Tasting wines from all over the world was like packing a suitcase. I could imagine the way the vineyards looked, how much work went in to that bottle that I was enjoying, and the sound of French echoing down a dank cellar. I dreamt about punchdowns and pump-overs, walked around with the smell of must and French heavy toasted oak and settled in at the end of the day with a fruit forward California Zinfandel. I realized that I was part of this history now, and when I would open a bottle of 2003 Rosenblum, that would be my story in that bottle, even the little I did (or didn’t do) would determine the final stance of that bottle.

While I traveled through South America, I tasted wine throughout the continent, from Mendoza to Tarija, Bolivia, and from Chile to Uruguay. My favorite town was Cafayate, in the Salta region of Northern Argentina. This desert oasis took me to beautiful little bodegas where grandma yelled for the son to get a new bottle. These families were the same as their cellar, a picture of their lives, a living, breathing book about the town, the family, and each individual member.

My love of wine is so much more than just the grape. I see how much goes into each bottle, the personality and the talent, and the need to make each bottle better, to make the story more interesting. The best part of all, is that the story will never end.

WINE OF THE WEEK- 2006 A by Acacia Pinot Noir, Sonoma ($17). Oh Pinot, you are such a good friend. Not to get “Sideways”, but Pinot Noir always seems to be right. Pinot is such a delicate grape, and coming from a winery that specializes in huge, jammy, Rhones, it took a while for me to understand the complexity of Pinot. The A by Acacia was very tight, and I had to get out the trusty Vinturi to get it to open up a bit. Once it was well beaten up, I got ripe black cherry and leather. A nice acid level brought out spicy oak, cedar, and a smooth blueberry aftertaste.

Always Tasting

2008-07-13T11:18:00.000-07:00

At my weekly tasting yesterday, I had the opportunity to explore some French AVAs that I was not familiar with. In fact one grape, Duras, had everyone stumped, but after a bit of reading I found that this varietal is included in almost all reds from the Gaillac region in the south of France. Every time I taste wine there is something new, probably even Jancis Robinson or Tom Stevenson still are able to discover when they open a bottle. In tasting wine it’s important to really focus on what you are looking for, dare I say “concentrate”.

When I get my first pour I always focus on the wine, swirl, swirl, swirl, then sniff. Try to name two fruits and any other aroma that jumps out, don’t be shy either, get your whole nose in the glass. If there is time, sniff four or five times, and swirl in between, really try to get that wine open before taking the first sip. Then I taste, I do the whole wine snob slurp, because unfortunately this does help to get the aromas to your nose and allow the wine to fully penetrate your palate. After your first sip, see if there is anything else that you missed or can redefine now that you have tasted it. Do you like it? Do your friends like it? Why? I have set a goal to begin writing about every wine that I taste, even if its just a few notes on a sticky, my memory is just not good enough to remember names, especially French or Italian.

So at my Saturday $1 tasting at the Wine Mine in Oakland, I always feel that I’ll be able to taste some decent wines and get an idea of what I’m looking for, it’s fun to find wine for under $20 that is worth drinking, or at least worth tasting. The tasting yesterday was a general tour of France; a lackluster Bordeaux, a simple but fun White Burgundy, the obscure Gaillac, a hot weather red from Cotes du Roussillon, and a crisp and dry Rose from Cote D’aix en Provence. This was a great opportunity to have wine from “well known” regions as well as some that are often overlooked from the wine world.

When I came home I was excited about these new wines and I immediately plopped down onto my couch with my “The World Atlas of Wine” and read up on these appellations that I had never heard of, next time, maybe I won’t appear so ignorant!

WINE OF THE WEEK: Allimant-Laugner Gewurztraminer 2005 Alsace ($18)- I looked to my friend Farley (www.behindthevines.com) for help with my pairing for the week. She knows a ton about pairing and she mentioned that she prefers Chinese with Gewurzt, especially broccoli with beef. “What a coincidence”, I yelped, “I was planning on cooking that tonight anyway”! I will be including a recipe every week that will go well with the wine of the week. All of these are my recipes or I will give credit to the source.

Broccoli with Beef: This dish should be spicy, to match wits with the spice in the Gewurzt, especially if it’s from Alsace. Oh yah: whites can go with red meat. (2 servings)

3 cloves garlic
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1.5 tbsp Hoisin sauce
3 tbsp soy sauce
3 tbsp white wine
1 tbsp cornstarch
Dash of hot red pepper
Dash of black pepper
1 lb beef (NY strip or lean Flank)
2 heads broccoli
1 small can bamboo shoots

1. Combine ingredients garlic through black pepper in a bowl and mix well. 2. Slice beef in thin strips about 3 inches long and add to bowl, mix well and put away in fridge for at least an hour. 3. Start rice in a separate pot and heat enough oil to cover bottom of wok and add beef, conserve a bit of liquid. 4. Add beef and cook for 5-6 minutes on med-high heat until meat is no longer red, chop broccoli into bite size pieces. 5. Add broccoli, bamboo shoots and remaining juice from the beef, mix well and turn down heat to med (still steaming) and cover for 5 minutes. 6. Cook until broccoli is soft but not wilting.

Who wants to own a winery?

2008-07-11T17:38:00.000-07:00

I do, who doesn’t? It seems like everyone from the Andretti’s to Maynard James Keenan (TOOL) is getting into the business. Can a name alone sell a wine, that is to say would you buy a wine because you are a “fan” of the owner? I bring this up because during my incredibly strenuous Friday at work I stumbled across TwentyFour (http://twentyfourwine.com), owned by everyone’s favorite ex-Raider cornerback Charles Woodson. As a diehard Raider fan I wonder if maybe those reoccurring turf toe injuries could have been prevented by perhaps paying a bit more attention to FOOTBALL during annual training camp in Napa, where he claims he first discovered the beauty of wine. Honestly, I saw the article about his wine and thought that I need a bottle of that! His first release, a Stags Leap, Napa Cab should be pretty nice, I just wonder how much he actually has to do with making the wine. He has enlisted the help of Gustavo Gonzalez, who is the red wine winemaker from Mondavi. Look for their winery opening in September and a release later that year.

What makes Joe Customer buy a bottle of wine? Could the name of the owner really sway a buyer? When I go to the store, I look for price, varietal, and region. At the same time, I do cherish my friendship with my local wine shop owner (David from the Wine Mine) and I always ask his opinion about a bottle. I do also look for scores, but sometimes I’m just not sure if Robert Parker really has the same taste as I do. The combination of this as well as the ridiculous variety of wine can make any visit to a wine shop either an adventure or a frustrating experience. I suggest going with an open mind and asking, don’t be afraid to ask directions, even if you know everything about wine, you don’t know as much as they do about their inventory. It is so easy to find a great bottle for cheap, so trust the owner, buy it, taste it, and if you like it, buy some more, if not, at least you were able to add that bottle to the mental wine library.

WINE OF THE WEEK: Allimant-Laugner Gewürztraminer 2005 Alsace ($18)- It seems a bit easy to pick a Gewurztraminer from Alsace instead of another region. I think Gewurzt in general does give you a great value, and Alsace is where the best Gewurztraminer is produced. Nestled in between the Vosgue mountains and the Rhine river, this region is tucked away in the Northeast of France. The history of this region has seen it change hands from France to Germany and back, and has also seen an influx of European migrants that has certainly shaped the viticulture tradition. This hot region is cut off from the Atlantic weather by the mountains, which also protect from rain. The vineyards are placed at a high altitude of 600-1200 feet allow for chilly nights. High sugar and early ripening have forced early picking and the resulting dilemma of whether to allow for a wine to be slightly sweet or have too much alcohol. Gewurzt here a notably more spicy than in other regions and tend to be a bit sweet.

The main varieties are Gewurztraminer, Muscat, Pinot Gris, and Riesling, and 90% of grapes grown here are for the production of white wine.

What is a wine snob?

2008-07-09T20:35:00.000-07:00

What is a wine snob? Is it in the knowledge, the vocabulary, the “pfffft” face when someone insists that a bottle of “2 Buck Chuck” is actually a good wine? Just because I choose to focus a lot of my mind and energy on finding great wine does that make me a wine snob? Are you a wine snob just for reading this? Wine is universal; these thin bands from 37 to 45-latitude north and south somehow quench the desire for all of the world’s drinkers, connoisseurs, and wine snobs alike. These are the only latitudes where terroir is available to produce a decent wine. We walk these bands like tight ropewalkers, learning, picking, and choosing where to pause and when to keep going.

But what makes someone a wine snob? If someone prefers Sierra Nevada over Natural Light, does that make them a beer snob? That is to say, is there anything in the “beverage world” as complex as wine? I can stare at my wine rack and imagine the taste of my 04 Cakebread Reserve Chard or wonder if I’ll ever get the nerve up to open the 92 Rosenblum Hendry Reserve Zin. Wine is this consuming enterprise, magic in a bottle, captivation by intoxication! What brings you back to wine? What makes someone spent $100, or $1000 or more on a bottle? Wine has what nothing else has to offer, it is a conversation stimulator, or sometimes the answer, but whatever it is to the drinker, it offers a mellow release from life.

WINE OF THE WEEK: Allimant-Laugner Gewürztraminer 2005 Alsace ($18)- Originally from the village of Tramin, Italy, this grape has found a more “noble” home in Alsace, in the North of France. This is a darker skinned white that demands some skin contact, therefore allowing it to be one of the few whites that is recognizable by sight, typically having the appearance of a touch of gold. For a “Noble Grape” Gewurzt is shunned by a lot of the wine community, perhaps because it is so difficult to spell! This is a difficult, early ripening grape, which demands cool conditions, therefore it has had difficulty finding good growing conditions outside of Alsace. New Zealand’s Grisborne appellation seems to be the most successful, although some regions of the US show promise as well. Monterey, Santa Barbara, Oregon and Washington all seem to suit the grape well.

The word Gewurztraminer means “Spice from Tramin”. That spice is sometimes difficult to recognize, a pinch on the toungue will normally reveal a bit of nutmeg or sandalwood. Typically, hints of lychee and rose, a hint of honey and a sweet smell, but dry taste are prominent in Gewurzt. This wine has low acid, but high sugar and alcohol content make this wine so much fun that it should always be opened at a backyard picnic or with a light appetizer.

Hi, this is me

2008-07-07T17:12:00.000-07:00

So as I dive further into the world of wine, I want to keep my thoughts somewhere. My name is Jonathan, I live in Oakland, and I have been working at a winery (Rosenblum Cellars) for a few years now. I didn't always love wine, but now I do. I didn't know anything about wine, now I am starting to learn. I think I can write, well, at least I know I can tell stories, and putting words to "paper" is just copying the story I'm telling.
The point of this blog is to include you in my journey through learning about wine. My wife and I are currently studying to take the Society of Wine Educators exam, and am actively tasting as well as studying the regions of the world. The are so many varietals and such an assortment of good wine that I will never be able to taste it all, but the more I can learn the better. I have been inspired to write about wine. I have written a book and am working on selling it, with difficulty, but I know that I need to keep writing. So here goes, this blog will be a combination of a few things. I will try to cover what I am learning about wine, any great wines that I have tasted, as well as my life working in a family business that was just recently bought by a large corporation.
The story of wine is its own history, its own story, yet a parallel of history in the world. There is so much wine to drink, and each bottle, and each grape has a story. Just today I read about how the South African wine industry was destroyed during the UN embargo during apartheid. But the story was more than that, it was the original settlers who planted grapes to raisin for sailors to fight scurvy. There was also the need for wine for the Brits when they occupied South Africa and were not importing French wine. The more I learn about wine, the more the world opens.
At the same time, wine is my story. It's not the whole story, but instead highlights of the story. Remembering a great wine is often the same as remembering a great night, where I was, who I was with, why that bottle got opened, and what I ate with it. Every time I drink that wine, I am transporting myself back to that night.

WINE OF THE WEEK: Allimant-Laugner Gewürztraminer 2005 Alsace ($18)- I just got to know Gewurtzraminer last year during an amazing meal at Fleur de Lys in San Francisco. Gewurtz is a great wine for my sister-in-law, who doesn't like wine that much, but this wine is so much fun and a bit sweet, that it is easy drinking. It is also good for my wife and I, people who are picking out flavor characteristics, learning about regions, and such. It is complex in its simplicity, ie its simple to find the niches that make this wine beautiful, expressive, and enjoyable.
The Allimant-Laugner Gewürztraminer has some typical flavor characteristics. It has a touch of honey, with a mouthful of Lychee and spice. This had a bit of a gravely taste as well, a bit flinty but not overwhelming. It paired well with a seafood paella but was overtaken by my cold cucumber soup.